January 23, 1838 Tsunami: Black Sea, Romania
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Black Sea, Romania on January 23, 1838 at 18:36 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 42 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- January 23, 1838, 18:36 UTC
- Source
- Black Sea, Romania
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 150 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 45.700° N, 26.600° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 42 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1838 Jan 23. Probable tsunami. Strong sea swell damaging many vessels in the Odessa harbor. (reference #9391)
1838 Jan 23. Improbable tsunami. (reference #11164)
1838 Jan 23, 45.7 N 26.6 E. Definite tsunami. Odessa: “The earthquake of the 11th day (the old style) was felt on ships standing in the harbor; its effect on the sea is compared with the impact on the ship when it strikes an offshore shoal” (Northern..., 1838). “Many of the ships in the harbor suffered from the great agitation of the sea” (Passek, 1963, pp. 243–244). (reference #12050)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa | Ukraine | 331 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1838The 1800sTsunamis of RomaniaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5841.